We know you want to make your opinion count -- especially during the time of a serious election. So, every week, SodaHead will host a handful of up-to-date polls having to do with the upcoming 2012 election.

Vote on this week's election questions below and make sure to come back every Tuesday to see how everyone voted -- and to receive a new batch of questions worth pondering. It's a great time to have an opinion. So, dive right in to our 2012 Election poll.

Not as well as some others might have, but well enough to please the independents as well as the conservatives. No One can win without the Independents on board. Barry is losing that block this trip around.

[...] Maybe you right wing dolts should learn what Romney as a Mormon represents. Mormons, were taught from their churches from the beginning that God "marked" blacks as evil and that the "mark" on Cain who killed Able is dark skinned because that's how God "marked" him. Lets see Romney try and run away from that.

Hahaha, you are so gullible. You'll believe anything won't you?Both fundamentalist(3) and LDS writers(4) have suggested the Joseph Smith was the author of the policy that blacks could not hold the priesthood. However, there are only two men who claimed to have been personally taught such by the Prophet. They were Zebedee Coltrin and Abraham Smoot. Coltrin's testimony has been questioned because he claimed to have been taught that blacks could not hold the priesthood in 1834, but records show that it was Coltrin who ordained Elijah Abel, a Negro, to the office of Seventy in 1836.(5) Abraham Smoot's claims were made many years after the fact and may have been subject to his own racial bias (he was a slave holder) or due to an unjustified generalization of directives to be used only among missionaries teaching slaves in the South. It appears significant that neither Brigham Young, John Taylor nor any other of the close associates of Joseph Smith attributed the doctrine to him.

The issue of Elijah Abel, a Negri, mentioned above is especially significant since it appears clear that Joseph Smith was aware of his 1836 ordination to the priesthood and yet did nothing to interfere with his office or the exercise of his authority. Abel's activities were discussed in a leadership meeting ...

Hahaha, you are so gullible. You'll believe anything won't you?Both fundamentalist(3) and LDS writers(4) have suggested the Joseph Smith was the author of the policy that blacks could not hold the priesthood. However, there are only two men who claimed to have been personally taught such by the Prophet. They were Zebedee Coltrin and Abraham Smoot. Coltrin's testimony has been questioned because he claimed to have been taught that blacks could not hold the priesthood in 1834, but records show that it was Coltrin who ordained Elijah Abel, a Negro, to the office of Seventy in 1836.(5) Abraham Smoot's claims were made many years after the fact and may have been subject to his own racial bias (he was a slave holder) or due to an unjustified generalization of directives to be used only among missionaries teaching slaves in the South. It appears significant that neither Brigham Young, John Taylor nor any other of the close associates of Joseph Smith attributed the doctrine to him.

The issue of Elijah Abel, a Negri, mentioned above is especially significant since it appears clear that Joseph Smith was aware of his 1836 ordination to the priesthood and yet did nothing to interfere with his office or the exercise of his authority. Abel's activities were discussed in a leadership meeting in June 1839, which was attended by Joseph Smith and other leading Mormons.(6) Likewise, Brother Abel lived in the Prophet's home in Nauvoo for a time and claimed that Joseph Smith told him he was entitled to the priesthood. His patriarchal blessing verified that he was ordained an elder in 1836.(7) Records show that other blacks, such as Walker Lewis, were ordained to the priesthood during the 1830s.(8)

Since priesthood is required for any man to attend the ordinances of the temple, it is significant that the Prophet taught that people of "every color" would flock to Nauvoo, Illinois to worship in the temple being constructed there. Joseph stated:

If the work rolls forth with the same rapidity it has heretofore done, we may soon expect to see flocking to this place, people from every land and from every nation; the polished European, the degraded Hottentot, and the shivering Laplander; persons of all languages, and of every tongue, and of every color; who shall with us worship the Lord of Hosts in His holy temple and offer up their orisons in His sanctuary. (HC 4:213.)

Other evidence could be presented to show that the policy of withholding the priesthood from Negroes was not fully implemented during the 1830s.(9) It should be obvious that the Prophet Joseph Smith was leading the Church according to the understanding the Lord had revealed to him up to that point. Church members followed the Prophet regarding these things.

Rodney[...] no need to prove what everyone already knows. The point which you try to sidestep is as a church the Mormons PREACHED and wrote in their Book of Mormon which they place over the bible is that God said blacks were stupid and evil and were "marked" as such. The church has never taken that back or apologized for this blatant racism.

Hahaha[...]First, the 1800's was a MUCH different time and the understanding of the world was still very immature. Second, just as the Democrats finally came to accept Blacks as fellow humans, so did the Mormon Church. The Church just did it first.

Coltrin's testimony has been questioned because he claimed to have been taught that blacks could not hold the priesthood in 1834, but records show that it was Coltrin who ordained Elijah Abel, a Negro, to the office of Seventy in 1836.

The official Mormon policy was RACISM until 1978. Doubt it, find a Mormon and ask him. Better yet, all that's required to confirm that is just read the official Mormon dogma. It all over the Web.

I see you still haven't learned how to use Google. I'll even help.

A little history:

Founded in 1830, the Latter Day Saint (LDS) movement was started by Joseph Smith, who claimed to have received a revelation from which he penned the Book of Mormon. LDS theology claimed that people of the black African Diaspora were cursed. Today, Mormons still teach that a war in heaven took place when Jesus and Lucifer, both considered sons of God, disagreed on whether or not humans should be given free will.

According to Smith, Jesus believed that only a select few could be saved, while Lucifer believed that everyone should be given a chance at salvation. Smith’s revelation purports that the spirits who sided with Lucifer ended up being born as darker-skinned people, cursed by God, and were undeserving of the priesthood.

Though Smith may have been unduly influenced by the slave-owning society in which he lived — more than any actual spiritual awakening — the official doctrine of the LDS Church still views his writings as divinely inspired. And despite the ban be...

Still trying to wiggle out of reality?

The official Mormon policy was RACISM until 1978. Doubt it, find a Mormon and ask him. Better yet, all that's required to confirm that is just read the official Mormon dogma. It all over the Web.

I see you still haven't learned how to use Google. I'll even help.

A little history:

Founded in 1830, the Latter Day Saint (LDS) movement was started by Joseph Smith, who claimed to have received a revelation from which he penned the Book of Mormon. LDS theology claimed that people of the black African Diaspora were cursed. Today, Mormons still teach that a war in heaven took place when Jesus and Lucifer, both considered sons of God, disagreed on whether or not humans should be given free will.

According to Smith, Jesus believed that only a select few could be saved, while Lucifer believed that everyone should be given a chance at salvation. Smith’s revelation purports that the spirits who sided with Lucifer ended up being born as darker-skinned people, cursed by God, and were undeserving of the priesthood.

Though Smith may have been unduly influenced by the slave-owning society in which he lived — more than any actual spiritual awakening — the official doctrine of the LDS Church still views his writings as divinely inspired. And despite the ban being lifted in 1978 — more than a decade following the 1964 Civil Rights Act — the Church has never disavowed the scripture or Joseph Smith and Brigham Young’s teachings, which are fraught with racial bias.

Further complicating the matter are the dubious circumstances under which Mormon leaders eventually saw the light. In early 1978, the U.S. Department of Justice threatened to revoke the LDS tax-exempt status if it continued to discriminate on the basis of race. It was only then that the Mormon “living prophet” declared his new revelation — thereby protecting millions, if not billions, in potential tax liabilities.

Witness this. Perhaps this will enlighten you.The Church never denied membership based on race (although slaves had to have their master's permission to be baptized), and several black men were ordained to the priesthood during Joseph Smith's lifetime. The first known black Latter-day Saint was "Black Pete", who joined the Church in Kirtland, Ohio, and there is some evidence that he held the LDS priesthood.[3] Other African Americans, including Elijah Abel in 1832, Joseph T. Ball in 1835 or 1836 (who also presided over the Boston Branch from 1844–1845), and Walker Lewis in 1843 (and probably his son, Enoch Lovejoy Lewis), were ordained to the priesthood during Smith's lifetime.[4] William McCary was ordained in Nauvoo in 1846 by Apostle Orson Hyde.[3] Two of the descendants of Elijah Abel were also ordained Elders, and two other black men, Samuel Chambers and Edward Leggroan, were ordained Deacons.[4]Early black members in the Church were admitted to the temple in Kirtland, Ohio, where Elijah Abel received the ritual of washing and anointing (see Journal of Zebedee Coltrin[page needed]). Abel also participated in at least two baptisms for the dead in Nauvoo, Illinois, as did Elder Joseph T. Ball.

U know little about history! It took the courage of Martin Luther King in the 1960's to have racial equality but the Mormons had Black members in the 1850's. In the 1970's Blacks could hold the priesthood in the Mormon church. My family is from Italy had now has a mix of Catholic and Mormons. All os US consider the Black people as equals just as Mitt Romney does. Maybe U are the problem and certainly U are posting false information! I personally served with my Black Marine brothers in the 60's and would give up my life to protect their freedoms! I would even do the same for U!

U know little about history! It took the courage of Martin Luther King in the 1960's to have racial equality but the Mormons had Black members in the 1850's. In the 1970's Blacks could hold the priesthood in the Mormon church. My family is from Italy had now has a mix of Catholic and Mormons. All os US consider the Black people as equals just as Mitt Romney does. Maybe U are the problem and certainly U are posting false information! I personally served with my Black Marine brothers in the 60's and would give up my life to protect their freedoms! I would even do the same for U!

If Romney gave away his inheritance it was only because he made so much money buying up companies, getting what he could out of them, running them into the ground and putting Americans out of work. The only difference between Obama and Romney is...is....give me a minute...ah...ummm....crap! Sorry, can't seem to think of anything at the moment.

Sure he made money, but by looting companies, hardly. It was by investing wisely and taking the losses as well. One Bain investment during Mr. Romney's tenure was to back an entrepreneur named Tom Stemberg, who was convinced he could provide savings for small-business owners if they were willing to shop at a store instead of taking deliveries. Today, the Staples chain of business-supply stores employs 90,000 people.

Bain also backed a start-up called Bright Horizons that now manages child-care centers for more than 700 corporate clients around the world. Many other venture bets failed, but that's capitalism, which is supposed to be a profit and loss system.

The loss part is what seems to trouble the Obama critics, especially in Bain's private-equity business. Like some 2,300 other such U.S. equity firms, Bain looks to buy companies that are underperforming or undervalued and turn them around.

Far from "looting," this is a vital contribution to capitalism and corporate governance. One of the persistent gripes of the left is that too many CEOs make too much money even as their companies flounder. Private-equity firms target such companies or subsidiaries, replace their management, and try to unlock the underlying value in the enterprise.

The recent ad from the Obama folks is a prime...

Sure he made money, but by looting companies, hardly. It was by investing wisely and taking the losses as well. One Bain investment during Mr. Romney's tenure was to back an entrepreneur named Tom Stemberg, who was convinced he could provide savings for small-business owners if they were willing to shop at a store instead of taking deliveries. Today, the Staples chain of business-supply stores employs 90,000 people.

Bain also backed a start-up called Bright Horizons that now manages child-care centers for more than 700 corporate clients around the world. Many other venture bets failed, but that's capitalism, which is supposed to be a profit and loss system.

The loss part is what seems to trouble the Obama critics, especially in Bain's private-equity business. Like some 2,300 other such U.S. equity firms, Bain looks to buy companies that are underperforming or undervalued and turn them around.

Far from "looting," this is a vital contribution to capitalism and corporate governance. One of the persistent gripes of the left is that too many CEOs make too much money even as their companies flounder. Private-equity firms target such companies or subsidiaries, replace their management, and try to unlock the underlying value in the enterprise.

The recent ad from the Obama folks is a prime example of conveniently misleading the public. GSI Steel was one such company that Bain held for 7 years, 3 years after Romney left Bain, GSI finally had to go through bankruptcy. GSI came out of bankruptcy stronger and rehired many of the couple hundred that were laid off.

Mr. Romney and his colleagues raised $37 million for their first fund in 1984. Today, Bain Capital manages roughly $66 billion. Its investors include college endowments and public pension funds that have increased their investments in private equity to get larger returns than stocks and bonds provide. The people who benefit from those returns thus include average workers.

Bain's turnaround hits include Sports Authority and tech-research outfit Gartner Inc., which was once a small division of an advertising firm and is now a public company worth more than $3 billion. Another success was Steel Dynamics, which used Bain money to build a new steel factory and now employs 6,000 people.

The medical-equipment maker once known as Dade International is now much larger than it was when Bain bought it in the 1990s. But Mr. Romney's company later sold its stake, and heavy debts taken on during the Bain years forced Dade to spend two months in bankruptcy in 2002 and cost 2,000 jobs. The company later resumed its rapid growth, and Siemens bought it in 2007 for $7 billion.

Hope this bit of truth shows you that not all you are told is the truth.

Oh contrair! I do not agree with you about the glories of Romney in any way.However, I very much respect that you do research actual facts & steer clear of the innuendo most of the time. You're also more often more cordial with people who disagree than most Republicans. ...not always, but more often.

It's important to discuss these things. I believe it's vital to hear all sides & read from all sorts of resources. Sometimes one finds that one is incorrect or has been mislead. Sometimes one finds more to substantiate one's views. Either way, the discussion is vital. Keeping lines open so that we can fully participate is also vital. I respect you too for not being one of those thin skinned ninnies who blocks everyone who disagrees.

Our nation is in a real fix. I don't think the solution is in either one of the nitwits on the main stage. But our best hope is pretty much lost. The RNC made sure of it.So now we're stuck with Dumb & Dumber... the question is which is which.

absolute garbage you speak.. Romney was so successful at his job that he had people lined up to get his help and management expertise.. and that's a fact.
At Bain he had an 80% success rate.. I wouldn't call that exactly poor performance!!
on the other hand.. obama was nobody, had done nothing, still has done nothing of value.. never had any experience, never ran a business.. never had responsibility for anything.. he had a lot given to him and would not be where he is today except that he is a bit black and the dnc wanted to use him to win an election based on dems playing the race card to do so.. and sponsored by those who brought obama on the scene years ago and primed him for this position.. They didn't teach him a lot of basic things tho so he is still bumbling around trying to figure out what is what.. He is so totally inept and incompetent and it shows every day.. on top of that..he's the biggest liar we have ever had to deal with in the oval office.. we will remove him in November.. have no fear.

Just so happens, not only did he give away his 18 million dollar inheritance, but started out his adult life in a $100 a month basement apartment. Your man, has been spoon fed his whole life. He was sponsored by the parents of Billy Ayers and has been taken care by the estate of "Uncle" Frank.

A number of recent letters show that there are many misconceptions about the life of Mitt Romney. He did not take advantage of his father’s wealth to make his life easy. During his Mormon mission in France he lived on $100 a month and slept on cast-off mattresses. He was bloodied and bruised defending two fellow female missionaries from a local sports team.Mitt and Ann lived in a $75 a month basement apartment and started their family there. With all that going on he graduated at the top of the humanities college.No silver spoons. He marched with his father in civil rights protests, opposing the then current teachings of the Mormon Church.

Then we have this, In the summer of 1996, Mitt Romney received a frantic report from one of his fellow executives at Bain Capital.Robert Gay's 14-year-old daughter, Melissa, had gone missing after taking a train into New York City, Gay told Romney. Gay said he and his wife, Lynette, had contacted the police and were desperately trying to track down Melissa.

Romney stepped in and committed Bain's resources to help with the search.'I said let's close the firm, let's close the company - we were in Boston - and let's all of us fly down to New York and try to find her,' Romney recalled recently when asked ...

A number of recent letters show that there are many misconceptions about the life of Mitt Romney. He did not take advantage of his father’s wealth to make his life easy. During his Mormon mission in France he lived on $100 a month and slept on cast-off mattresses. He was bloodied and bruised defending two fellow female missionaries from a local sports team.Mitt and Ann lived in a $75 a month basement apartment and started their family there. With all that going on he graduated at the top of the humanities college.No silver spoons. He marched with his father in civil rights protests, opposing the then current teachings of the Mormon Church.

Then we have this, In the summer of 1996, Mitt Romney received a frantic report from one of his fellow executives at Bain Capital.Robert Gay's 14-year-old daughter, Melissa, had gone missing after taking a train into New York City, Gay told Romney. Gay said he and his wife, Lynette, had contacted the police and were desperately trying to track down Melissa.

Romney stepped in and committed Bain's resources to help with the search.'I said let's close the firm, let's close the company - we were in Boston - and let's all of us fly down to New York and try to find her,' Romney recalled recently when asked about the incident at a rally in Ohio this month. 'So we closed the business, we went home and packed our things.

It must be comforting to you to be so ignorant Ben.If you are ever interested in the truth you might actually do some independent research and not just take Chris(the commie)Matthews and MSNBC at their word.Truth is refreshing to truth-seekers, bitter to those deceived.